Punjab: 5 booked, 1 arrested for sedition over 2020 pro-Khalistan referendum banners
The Punjab Police has booked five and arrested one person for sedition, criminal conspiracy and promoting enmity over hoardings of 2020 referendum on Punjab's independence from the Indian State.
Mohali Police arrested one out of five persons booked for sedition, promoting enmity and criminal conspiracy after provocative hoarding demanding a referendum for Khalistan surfaced at 40 locations in Punjab last week.
The arrested person has been identified as Gurpreet Singh, who owns a printing press and is a resident of phase 5, industrial area in Mohali.
The co-accused are Khalistani activists of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Jagdeep Singh and Jagjeet Singh from New York.
The fifth accused- Harpunit Singh is from Jammu's Nanak Nagar.
All have been booked on the orders of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh who has termed the act as 'not worthy of consideration'.
BJP WELCOMES MOVE
"The 2020 referendum posters put up by the Sikh Justice Forum across the state are not worthy of consideration. No such feelings prevailed among the people of Punjab," Captain Amarinder Singh said.
Captain's orders came after BJP complained and termed the act as a 'deliberate attempt to vitiate state's atmosphere'.
BJP has welcomed the crackdown and said the campaign was launched at the behest of Pakistan's ISI which is hell bent to disturb public tranquility in Punjab.
"Acts like this are likely to cause fear of insecurity among members of different communities. We welcome the state government's move to book the persons involved in the anti-national camp. We are not afraid of anybody who is speaking the language of Pakistan," Secretary ,BJP, Vineet Joshi who was threatened by SFJ of dire consequences said to India Today.